Album Notes

These are some of my favorite tunes, some traditional and some fresh from contemporary tunesmiths Hank Bradley, Stuart Brotman, Liz Carroll, John Miller, Mark Simos, and me. Tunes range from Irish, modern contra dance, the East Texas Serenaders, and some superb contemporary waltzes. Backup features the west coast's top dance musicians: Hank Bradley, Charlie Hancock, Paul Kotapish, Glenn Dudley, Tony Mates, Bruce Reid, Dave Bartley, Lori Goldston, and Kyle Hanson.

"Cathie Whitesides is a superbly versatile fiddler. She cut her teeth in the musically eclectic Berkeley, CA scene...and is presently one of the most respected contra dance fiddlers in the country. She is adept in most fiddle traditions within the cultural and geographic boundaries defined by Eastern Europe and East Texas, and approaches each distinct style with a keen ear for idiomatic detail and expressive musicality. Cathie is also a precise and sensitive ensemble player with an uncanny ability to exploit timing, ornamentation, and phrasing subtleties to produce clear, danceable musical statements... The beautiful non-Celtic European waltzes included on Sperantsa especially moved this author... A bonus cut, Cathie's humorous song "Some Friendly Advice" (a paean to the joys of music and dance) is included. It is the world's sole example of the fusion of Greek bouzouki playing with Calypso traditions, to this reviewers' knowledge. The recording...is extremely well executed...notable in it's clarity, wide dynamic range, and tonal fidelity. This recording should appeal to fans of contra dance music and folks who like to explore varied musical and cultural locales. Recommended!" -- Steve Senderoff, in "The Old Time Herald" Fall 2003.